Do You Know?

What insect can make a noise louder than a rock concert, equal to a chain saw, and  be heard up to half a mile away?

What insect lives up to 17 yrs. underground before emerging as an adult?

What insect buries itself up to 8 feet underground where it sucks on tree roots?

What insect emerges every 17 yrs. in plague-like numbers in the Eastern United States?

What insect is often fried up and eaten and called the “ground shrimp”?

Cicadas are one of the most interesting of all insects. They come in many varieties. There are more than 2,500 species world-wide. The only continent where they are not found in Antarctica. These insects are often called the insect Methuselah’s because of their longevity.

Now That’s Odd!

Some species can live up to 17 years underground before emerging as adults. These Cicadas are known as the Periodic Cicadas. Other Cicadas have one year annual cycles,  3 yrs. , or 13 yrs. cycles. Did you notice these numbers are all odd numbers? Scientists are not sure why but this seems to be consistent with all the species.

Life Cycle

Where does the cycle begin? The female Cicada makes slits in the outermost twigs of tree branches. She then inserts her eggs. One female can lay up to 600 eggs. About 6 weeks later when the nymphs come out of their egg cases they fall to the ground and begin digging. They can dig up to 8 feet underground to find the juicy roots of trees from which they feed. Their long needle-like mouth-parts stab into the roots from which they extract a constant flow of sap. Depending on their species, they can stay underground for a year or up to 17 years (the Periodic Cicadas). Once they burrow their way back up to the bases of tree trunks, they climb up and split their nymphal skins down their backs and crawl out as adults. This old skin remains attached to the tree. When they first emerge their wings are all crumpled up, but after a few hours they pump up their wings and dry them out and become strong fliers. They then go to the tops of the trees where they spend the adult portion of their lives. This is a short period of time compared to that underground. Usually they are adults for only 5-6 weeks if they survive the many predators that feed on them.

Who Eats Cicadas?

Cicadas have many enemies that feed on them. These include: birds, many kinds of rodents: like squirrels, moles, mice, and rats. Other mammals, like bats, also feed on them. Lizards, and even fish will eat them. Believe it or not, even people eat them! Ever heard of stirred fried Cicadas? About every 17 years when the Periodic Cicadas of the Eastern United States emerge, many restaurants will offer special meals of Cicadas prepared by some of the finest chefs of the world. I have never tried them, but some people call them “ground shrimp”. They usually fry up the nymphal stage when they emerge in large numbers.

Noisy Males

If you hear the noise of the Cicadas you are hearing the males. They have special noise boxes, that are similar to drums, on the sides of their abdomens. These structures are known as “tymbals”. They make noises to attract females as well as other sounds to warn other males to stay out of their territory. Each species has its own unique sound. They can collectively create the noise up to 110-120 decibels. That is equivalent to that of a chain saw, or a rock concert! That’s a lot of noise! Interestingly, if you hold a live male in your hand it will often make this sound to try to scare you away. It is amazing how God designed these insects so they could emit such a loud sound.

Hard to Locate

You would think that anything that made that much noise would be easy to locate. Believe it or not, it is not easy to locate a singing Cicada. This is partly due to the fact that more than one of them are singing at the same time.They are a lot like ventriloquists that seem to send their voices elsewhere. I once heard a Cicada and was only about three feet away and didn’t see it until it moved. The sound seems to come from everywhere at the same time. It’s interesting that the females can distinguish where the males are and find them quickly even when their are several different species in the same location. They can find their mates and reproduce their young. This is the primary purpose of adult Cicadas.

The Better to See You

As you can see in the above photo, Cicadas have two large compound eyes on the sides of their heads. In addition, they have three small simple eyes right in the middle of their heads. If you look closely, you will also notice that they have a tiny pair of antenna. Their legs are jointed and they have claws on the ends of their feet with which to grasps branches and the bark of trees.  Look closely, you may also see the long, needle-like mouth tucked up under their belly. It looks a lot like a bird’s beak. These sometimes are up to a half inch long.

Not Harmful to Man

Though they might look menacing, they actually cause no harm to man. They are very interesting to examine up close.

Interesting Experience

I recall one summer while serving as a camp counselor in Northern California. I heard a cry coming from the mountain top where summer campers were sleeping in a large Teepee. One of the girls woke up and saw a monster crawling up the side of her tent. Because the light from the outside came through the cloth the image of an emerging nymph was magnified and appeared to be many times its actual size. It really did look scary from the inside of the tent. Once I removed it and showed it to the girl and her tent- mates and explained that it was harmless,  all again was calm on the hill. 

Half Wing

Cicadas belong to the insect order Homoptera. This term means “same wings”. The Cicadas have one large pair of wings and one smaller pair. The smaller pair are one half as large as the front pair. Their wings are transparent and veined.  Other members of this order include the aphids, tree hoppers, and leaf hoppers.

 

Waxy Coat

Cicadas are covered with a waxy coat that helps shed water. Their wings also are hydrophobic, and repel water. This is a good thing for the Cicadas because they often live in very moist places. It also keeps their wings ready for flying when necessary to avoid predators or find a new location. God gave these insects everything they would need to survive.

Plague-like Numbers

One of the most amazing things about Cicadas is the vast numbers that can emerge in a matter of weeks! The Periodic Cicadas of the Eastern United States, which emerge every 17 yrs., can come out in numbers that equal up to tens of thousands to 1.5 million insects per acre. That is like the Biblical plagues of the Old Testament times. In these numbers they can be a nuisance, getting squished on the pavement, covering branches of trees and sidewalks. These vast numbers provide a feast for many animals that take advantage of their appearance. In just a short while all of the remnants of these creatures will be gone, eaten and recycled. Their bodies provide nutrients for the soil and food for many fungi and bacteria in the soil.

Now It’s Your Turn to Take Time to Look at and Study Them!

So….the next time you encounter a Cicada, take time to take a closer look. They are marvels of design and very interesting to observe. The closer you look the more amazing they are. They definitely demonstrate the marvelous design of their Creator.

 

 

 

What’s This In My Yard?

Have you ever gone outside your house and come across one of these amazing spiders? Have you ever wondered why God made spiders? After all, many people are scared of these creatures!

These spiders are our friends. They help control the insects in our gardens and around our houses. They specialize in flying insects. They also are fun to watch and feed. They have many interesting habits that make them a favorite of many people.

Many Common Names

These spiders are known by many common names. Some people call them black and yellow garden spiders while others call them banana spiders,  corn spiders, and writing spiders. Why so many names, you might ask? Well, people have a tendency to name things for what they observe the spiders doing. These spiders seem to “write” in their webs. Though not words, like in the movie Charlotte’s Web, The designs do suggest writing. Sometimes you will find the letter X , other times just a long zigzag line down the middle of the web. Those that make the X shape are often called St. Andrew’s Spiders. One way to name these spiders with a name used all over the world is their scientific name: Argiope aurantia. This Latin name means “orange spider“, as they often have an orange tint with the yellow and black. Sometimes they even appear silvery when the sun reflects off their hairy bodies.

Zip It Up

If you look closely you can see a zipper shaped pattern down through the middle of their web. There are many ideas about its purpose but it seems that it helps prevent larger creatures from running into the net-like web. It also reflects ultra-violet light that is visible to insects. Some scientists believe it attracts insects into the web.

Good Vibrations

One interesting behavior you might experience with these spiders is when you approach their webs. They have a tendency to vibrate their webs by swinging up and down in the middle. This apparently startles some predators and makes the spiders appear even bigger than they are….And they  are big for spiders!  If the vibrations don’t scare off their enemies they have a habit of dropping off the web and running into a leaf nearby. They sometimes hide in these places until a hapless insect gets caught in the net, but usually they sit right in the middle of the web, head down, ready to run and wrap up any insect that get caught in the web. When an insect hits the web it send signals through the web to the waiting spider. It runs out and shoots out webbing on the victim. It then rolls it up into a package to secure it and immobilize it from fighting back. Sometimes the spider is ready for a meal immediately and it sinks its fangs through the package and starts sucking out the juice from the insect that has been liquified by the poison injected into it. The poison also affects the nervous system of the insect putting it to sleep. Other times the spider keeps its meal for later to consume at its leisure. Once the insect is drained of its nutrients the spider cuts the insect loose to fall to the ground to be recycled in the soil or eaten further by other creatures.

 

Not Harmful to Man

 

Though these spiders are poisonous to insects, they pose little danger to man. I have often held them in my hand without being bitten.  Some people do have allergic reactions to insects and spider bites, but these spiders have rarely caused any concern. I recommend that you watch them without trying to hold them in your hand. It’s good for the spider and allows you to see their unusual behaviors.

Circular Reasoning:  Orb Webs

One of the most amazing things about spiders is their web making abilities. They have several tiny spinnerets on their abdomens that shoot out various types of webbing. Some of it is sticky and some is not. This type of spider is called an Orb Weaver. It makes a circular or oval shaped web. Orb weavers actually have an extra third toe on their feet for handling the webbing. They create beautiful designs with the protein based substance ejected from their spinnerets.  They have special webbing to make their egg cases as well.

Egg Sac

This picture was taken by my friend, Heather Davis. Thank you.

 

The Night Shift

One thing that amazes me is how they redo their webs every night. Did you know they recycle the webbing by eating it and then reusing the protein in future webs. Webbing is very important to spiders. The patterns they make are a testimony of their God given talent for making designs that are not only beautiful but very functional. Most of their web building takes place at night after a day of sitting and waiting for prey. They are born with this ability and need not learn how to make a web. God equipped them so they would be ready right from the get-go! If you think this is a simple task, just try making a web from string. It is a difficult task and it won’t function as well as the spider’s web.

Watch for Tiny Males

One thing that is harder to see is the tiny male spiders. They often build smaller webs near the female’s large web. After mating with the females they quickly die off. Their primary purpose is providing sperm for the females to fertilize their eggs.

 

How Many Babies in One Egg Case?

Talk about having all your eggs in one basket! The female creates a brown papery egg case that is full of eggs. 400 to up to 1400 eggs are found in one egg case! These egg cases are about 1 inch in diameter. The females can create two or three of these egg cases which hold their young. The babies hatch out in the fall and remain inside the egg case until the springtime. “Why so many?” You might ask. Only a few of the spiderlings will make it to maturity. They are eaten by other spiders and other creatures when young. By having so many young, the spiders can insure that some will survive to carry on the species.

Do You Want to See Them in Action?

One of the funnest things to do is to feed the spiders and watch what they do. Catch small insects and toss them into the web. Sometimes they will pass right through without hitting a strand of webbing, but when they do, you will see a lot of action. The spider will quickly feel the vibration of the struggling insect and run out to subdue it. I like to catch grasshoppers and crickets to feed them but they also love flies, moths, butterflies and other insects. If you find a large spider you can feed it several times a day.

 

Don’t Be Afraid of Me!

Though I might look scary to some, I really am your friend. I help keep the bugs in your yard under control and love to provide entertainment for a meal.